WorldStage– The Federal Government of Nigeria said it is set to train 5,000 meter installers across the country to close its metering gap.
Olu Verheijen, Executive Secretary, Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI) and Special Adviser to the President on Oil and Gas, said that the training was also part of the country’s effort to scale up delivery of seven million smart meters.
She spoke at the inaguration of the Power Force programme being implemented by PMI, which was launched by President Bola Tinubu in 2023.
She said that the inaguration also featured the unveiling of the first batch of selected applicants who would undergo a three-week intensive practical and classroom training in Abuja.
According to her, close to 220,000 submissions were received from interested young Nigerians across the country during the application period.
She described the PMI as the largest metering programme in the history of Nigeria, established under the leadership of President Tinubu.
She said that the aim was to solve one of the biggest barriers to a reliable electricity sector: ensuring that every Nigerian pays only for the electricity they actually use.
”One young installer can not transform Nigeria. But five thousand can inspire fifty thousand. And fifty thousand can inspire millions more. That is how movements begin. One opportunity. One person. One act of service at a time.
”Following the Abuja launch, the power force training will expand to various centres across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
“Upon completion, trainees will receive formal certification by NEMSA as qualified meter installers who have met national and international competence and safety standards,” she said.
In his address, Governor of Kwara, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, said PMI was not just about fixing the finances of the power sector through metering.
“It is also about impacting the lives of young Nigerians, through training and skills development,” he said.
Abdulrazaq, who is the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), also chairs the PMI board.
Rpresented by Mr Edmund Nnaji, Executive Director, Finance and Administration at the NGF, he called on fellow governors to support the Power Force initiative.
The Minister of Power, Mr Joseph Tegbe, said behind every successful metering programme must stand thousands of competent, certified and dedicated technicians.
”The 5,000 young Nigerians being trained under this initiative will become the backbone of Nigeria’s smart metering workforce.
”The power force initiative demonstrates that our electricity reforms are not merely about equipment and technology; they are equally about creating opportunities, building human capital and securing livelihoods,” he said.
Tegbe also commended the Association of Meter Manufacturers of Nigeria (AMMON) for withdrawing a court action it had instituted against the meter deployment programme.
He said that singular decision had removed a significant obstacle to the accelerated deployment of electricity meters across the country.
Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande said power force was directly supporting his ministry’s “One Youth, Two Skills” initiative.
“This is not just the launch of a training programme; it is about creating jobs and opportunities for Nigerian youths to contribute to national development.“President Tinubu’s administration has demonstrated that Nigeria’s federal ministries, departments and agencies can have the force of collaboration in making sure the dividends of democracy get to everybody in the country,” he said.
